LUCKNOW — The Bharatiya Janata Party retained power in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, but saw a drop in number of seats compared to the previous elections, as well as several top leaders bite the dust.

The biggest casualty was Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya who lost Sirathu to his Samajwadi Party rival, Pallavi Patel, by a margin of 7,337 votes.

Among others who lost the polls this time were Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, and Rural Development who was defeated by Samajwadi Party’s Jai Prakash Anchal from Bairia constituency by 12,951 votes

Sports Minister Upendra Tiwari lost the polls from Phephana constituency, losing to Samajwadi Party’s Sangram Singh by a margin of 19,354 votes.

Cabinet Minister Rajendra Pratap Singh, popularly known as Moti Singh, also lost the elections from the Patti seat to Samajwadi Party’s Ram Singh by a margin of 22,051 votes.

Sugarcane Minister Suresh Kumar Rana was defeated by Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Ashraf Ali Khan by a margin of 10,806 votes in the Thana Bhawan Assembly.

Education Minister Satish Chandra lost to Samajwadi Party’s Mata Prasad Pandey in Itwa by 1,662 votes.